American Airlines Offering More Routes Featuring Premium Flagship Suite Seats

International travel on American will get an upgrade this winter with the expansion of premium Flagship Suite® seats to three continents. Select flights to London (LHR); Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE); Auckland, New Zealand (AKL); and Brisbane, Australia (BNE) will be upgraded to offer the Flagship Suite® experience on American’s newly designed Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

“At American, we know our customers are counting down the days to their next vacation, and we’re excited to expand our newly debuted Flagship Suite® seats to new long-haul destinations,” said Brian Znotins, American’s Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning. “In addition to giving customers more premium seat offerings in key markets, we are also expanding this product to some of our longest routes, giving travelers an elevated experience when traveling to exciting destinations.”

Flagship Suite® seats will be available for purchase on these additional routes starting July 7 at aa.com or through American’s mobile app.

American’s winter Flagship Suite® routes

Departure airport Arrival airport Service notes

Chicago (ORD) London (LHR) All flights starting July 5

Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) Daily service Jan. 5- March 28

DFW Brisbane, Australia (BNE) Daily service Oct. 25-March 28

DFW Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE) Daily service Oct. 26- Jan. 5

DFW LHR One daily service (AA78 and AA79) Oct. 26-Jan. 5 expanding to two daily services from Dec. 3-Jan. 5 (adding AA20 and AA21)

Philadelphia (PHL) LHR Daily service Oct. 25-Jan. 5

DFW to BNE and DFW to AKL are two of American’s longest routes by distance. American is the only airline to operate those two routes, and travelers from more than 230 destinations around the world will be able to fly through DFW to BNE and AKL. With 51 Flagship Suite® seats and 32 Premium Economy seats, American is offering travelers more ways to customize their experience and enjoy premium comfort.

London is one of the most in-demand cities for premium travel, and American is the largest U.S. airline flying to LHR. This winter, American will offer up to 1,500 daily premium seats to LHR.

As previously announced, all of American’s flights between ORD and LHR will operate with the newly designed 787-9 aircraft this summer. Now, American is announcing an enhancement on this route as Flagship Suite® seats will be available on all future flights through winter and beyond. And, through the December holiday season, all flights between PHL and LHR will see the same enhancement.

Customers can verify their route will operate with newly designed Boeing 787-9 aircraft by looking for the “78P” designator on aa.com when purchasing their flight.

Enjoying the suite life

From dual-sided pillows with cool-touch fabric to premium duvets, slippers, pajamas and fleece blankets, American’s thoughtful bedding makes it easier for customers to relax and recharge in flight. Customers in Flagship Suite® Preferred Seats, Flagship Suite® seats and Flagship® Business class can enjoy elevated comfort with sleep-focused amenities, while customers in Premium Economy and Main Cabin will also find cozy touches tailored to each cabin, like lumbar pillows and fleece blankets.

Later this summer, American will further enhance the Flagship® Business class experience on all widebody flights to East Asia, the Middle East, India, Australia and New Zealand with the introduction of pajamas and mattress pads, in addition to the slippers, dual-sided pillows and duvet that are already offered. American is constantly collecting customer feedback to reinvigorate the travel experience with changes that align with customer needs.

The Flagship Suite® seat includes an innovative chaise lounge option, giving travelers another way to get cozy and comfortable.

About American Airlines Group

As a leading global airline, American Airlines offers thousands of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries. The airline is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members serve more than 900 destinations around the globe. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL. Learn more about what’s happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines. To Care for People on Life’s Journey®.

Another Asian airline, Korean Air, Revamps Its Prestige Class To Offer Prestige Suites

The new "Prestige Suites," highlighting the comfort and privacy of its premium customers, will make their debut on a Korean Air A330-300 on the Guangzhou, Singapore, and Hanoi routes. Korean Air has a further 38 aircraft on order - six A330-300s, twelve B777-300ERs, ten B747-8is, and ten B787-9s – and all will be delivered equipped with the new seats, optimizing the space and offering privacy to provide passengers with maximum comfort.

Korean Air has long been making efforts to provide high-end luxury service to its premium customers. And today, Korean Air has revealed it has revamped prestige class equipped with new "Prestige Suites" - taking inflight style in the prestige class cabin and premium customers’ comfort to a new level.

The innovative armrest automatically slides down out of sight when the seat is in fully flat bed-mode and allows the seat to have an increased width of 22.5 inches, against the previous 21 inches.

Privacy panels are installed between the seats, with those in aisle seats able to rise higher for increased privacy. Each seat is also equipped with an ottoman, where passengers can rest their feet, or work colleagues or family members can sit to chat. These ottomans are more often seen in the first class cabins of other airlines.

The configuration of the seats has been designed to allow passengers by the window to be able to pass into the aisle without disturbing the aisle passenger. The pitch between the seats on the window side has increased by 12 inches to 87 inches from the previous configuration.

"Smart" inflight entertainment with "smartphone" style handset providing a wide variety of content

The handset features a touchpad that can be used as easily as a smart phone. Passengers simply touch the handset screen to choose from the menu, be it a movie, music, a game or information service.

Passengers can also watch the inflight airshow, with lots of flight information, such as, the location of the aircraft, at the same time as watching movies.

The Inflight entertainment system monitors have also been upgraded, now equipped with capacitive touch screen and superb resolution and expanded to 17 inches.

Looking to 2015, Korean Air plans to introduce a brand new first class, complimenting the new "Prestige" class but taking spaciousness, stylish design and comfort to an even higher level. The new premium seats are a result of Korean Air’s effort to offer unparalleled customer services. The introduction of the new seats is on track in its quest to be a leading global carrier.

Travelore News: Ultra-luxurious Residence Revealed By Etihad

The doors to the airline’s two new flagship aircraft – in the distinctive new ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi’ livery – were opened for the first time to reveal the new cabin interiors, which include the ultra-luxurious Residence by Etihad™, the only three-room suite in the sky.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has capped an incredible 12 months by unveiling its first Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 aircraft to more than 200 of the world’s media in Abu Dhabi.

Etihad Airways also unveiled a new cabin crew uniform at a spectacular catwalk fashion show. It’s the first major uniform re-launch since the airline’s formation in 2003 and incorporates the same colours used for the cabin interior and new aircraft livery.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “As we have done so many times in our short history, we are reshaping the landscape of modern air travel in our own way.

“Today is the culmination of many years of hard work and tremendous endeavour by hundreds of people both in our airline and outside.

“With the launch of these aircraft, we usher in a new era of unparalleled luxury, comfort and service. These innovations represent our vision for the future.”

In addition to the media event at Abu Dhabi airport, Etihad Airways is also hosting an event for travel industry partners and one for the airline’s staff today, ensuring that by the end of the day more than 1,500 people will have toured the two new aircraft.

The fashion show saw 22 Etihad Airways cabin crew showcasing the new uniform which has been designed by Italian couturier, Ettore Bilotta. It combines elegance, comfort and practicality and the colours are derived from the new brand identity.

Bilotta, in collaboration with the airline’s Guest Services and Guest Experience divisions, chose a warm chocolate brown as the base colour for the different uniform variations.

A deep purple colour is added for cabin crew and lounge staff, and a burnt orange accent colour for ground crews and Special Services personnel.

Following today’s events in Abu Dhabi, the A380 and Boeing 787 aircraft will continue test operations before starting commercial flights. The A380 will operate daily to London Heathrow from 27 December and the 787 to Dusseldorf from 1 February 2015.

The entry into commercial service of the A380 will see the introduction of The Residence by Etihad™, a new cabin that has captured the imagination of the air travel industry since it was unveiled in May 2014.

The Residence by Etihad™ features a living room, separate ensuite shower room, and bedroom, and as another first in the airline industry, a dedicated Butler.

Measuring 125 square feet in total, The Residence by Etihad™ is located on the forward upper deck of the A380 and is for single or double occupancy.

The A380 is also the only Etihad Airways aircraft to offer the First Apartment which is a complete living space with a reclining lounge chair and an ottoman, which opens up to become a separate 80.5 inch long fully-flat bed.

The First Suite on the Etihad Airways B787 offers guests an enhanced suite with chilled mini-bar, complete privacy and centre seats which can be joined to create a double bed.

A total of 70 Business Studios are located on the upper deck of the A380, and the B787 has 28 Business Studios, all offering aisle access and a fully flat bed of up to 80.5 inches long.

The Economy Smart Seat also debuts on the A380 and Boeing 787 and has enhanced comfort with the unique ‘fixed wing’ headrest on each seat.

Etihad Airways will take delivery of four A380s and three Boeing 787-9s in 2015.

PHOTO: (left to right all Etihad Airways) Hareb Al Muhairy, VP UAE; Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer; Abdul Qader Hussein Ahmed, VP Government and International Affairs; James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer; Khaled Al Mehairbi, SVP Government and Aeropolitical Affairs; Hasan Al Hammadi, SVP Executive Affairs; with members of the airline’s cabin crew, in front of Etihad Airways’ first A380.